CALGARY — Calgarians are struggling to understand the events surrounding a hit and run that left a woman dead, one man in custody, and police seeking assistance in locating a second suspect as well as two drivers who apparently drove around the dying woman on the road.

The victim’s name is Wong Shuk Yee. The 56-year-old woman was killed Wednesday morning on her way to work after being struck by at least one vehicle while crossing a northwest road.

“Her English name was Rachel,” said Kathy Tam, the executive director of the Wing Kei Care Centre, the nursing home where Yee was employed.

“It’s a difficult time; we’re all going to miss her,” Tam said. “She was so wonderful.”

Tam said Yee worked in the centre’s care department and that co-workers and residents are coping with the loss by supporting each other and sharing stories about Yee.

“She was so dedicated and loved what she does, which was serving the seniors,” Tam said.

Meanwhile, investigators piecing together the hit and run are looking to talk to two drivers who may have driven around Yee as she lay dying on the road.

Police have charged one man with hit and run causing death and, as of press time Thursday evening, continue to search for the second driver, who is also believed to have run over the same victim before driving away.

Between the collisions, police say two other drivers took evasive action to avoid the 56-year-old victim as she suffered traumatic injuries — something that angered many Calgarians, who took to social media to comment on the city’s drivers.

Police say they are keeping an open mind until all the facts come out.

“My understanding is they actually had to drive around her as she was on the road,” said Sgt. Colin Foster of the collision reconstruction unit. “I’m not going to condemn; I’m not going to condone. I need to speak with these people to find out exactly what they saw.”

Yee was pronounced deceased at the scene at Sandstone Drive and Berkshire Blvd. N.W. on Wednesday morning.

At 7:45 a.m., less than an hour after the collision, police received a call from a man who claimed to have been involved and he was arrested.

Steven Jonathan Vanasse, 24, has been charged and his red Ford Taurus station wagon will be examined for evidence in the case. He was on his way to work at the time, said police, and he has been co-operative with investigators.

Police are still looking for the second vehicle that hit the pedestrian and also drove away. It is a small dark sedan that would likely have damage to its lower front bumper.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

“We’re looking at all possibilities of what lead to this collision. At this stage, we don’t believe speed was an issue, however, we are still investigating,” Foster said.

But news that two drivers may have failed to stop to help the woman was disturbing for many people.

Pastor John Van Sloten of New Hope Church said he feels “incredulous” that two drivers may have driven away from someone in desperate need of help.

“But at the same time, I guess in a city that is go, go, go, where everybody has got somewhere to get, we’re moving so fast ... that it’s not surprising that this kind of thing could happen,” Van Sloten said.

“If you are the person lying on the road, what would you want someone to do for you? The moment you ask that question, you stop the car and you help somebody.”

Ward 4 Ald. Gael MacLeod, who lives in Sandstone and arrived at the scene of the accident on her way downtown Wednesday morning, said the deadly accident has left her, like many Calgarians, struggling to understand the incident.

“Perhaps this is a rallying point of where we really need to stop and reflect on who we are,” MacLeod said. “I don’t know. There are no easy answers this.”

She said reports that two drivers may have driven around Yee as she was lying on the road was particularly distressing, a possible symptom of a citizens who have become disconnected from their community.

“That, to me, is quite upsetting,” MacLeod said.

begin optional cut Alberta Motor Association spokesman Don Szarko said that, a few years ago, his organization put together a brochure instructing drivers how to help at the scene of a crash.

“One of the things we found is a lot of people are afraid that somehow if they stop to render aid, they will be liable,” Szarko said.

He said Alberta’s Emergency Medical Aid Act protects people at the scene of a collision.

“It does protect you from legal liability if you use reasonable skill ... while attempting to help someone at the scene of an accident or an emergency,” he said. “We did find out that a lot of people are reticent to render aid, afraid they are going to be liable if they do something wrong. I don’t know if that’s at play here.” end optional cut

Investigators are still looking to speak with witnesses and put a “Witness Required” road sign at the site of the collision.

Police are trying to determine if Yee was walking in the crosswalk when she was hit.

“We’re having difficulty placing her on the road. I’m not going to say she was or wasn’t in the crosswalk. I need to confirm that and the only way we’re going to get that is from witness evidence,” Foster said.

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